Must-see attractions in Kakheti

  • Ancient Mural painting 13th century, David Gareja monastery, Kakheti, Georgia; Shutterstock ID 659886058; Your name (First / Last): Gemma Graham; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Georgia destination page masthead and POI images

    Udabno Monastery

    Davit Gareja

    Less of a monastery than a series of cave-hewn chapels, Udabno runs along a steep escarpment looking down to grassy plains in Azerbaijan. While many caves…

  • Chavchavadze House Museum in Tsinandali. Georgia; Shutterstock ID 633216923; Your name (First / Last): Gemma Graham; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Georgia destination page masthead and POI images

    Chavchavadze Estate

    Kakheti

    Prince Alexander Chavchavadze (1786–1846) was one of the most colourful and influential characters in Georgian history, and the palace and gardens he…

  • Alaverdi Cathedral

    Kakheti

    At the beginning of the 11th century, when Georgia was entering its cultural and political golden age, King Kvirike of Kakheti had this majestic cathedral…

  • Batonistsikhe Castle

    Telavi

    Batonistsikhe was the residence of the Kakhetian kings in the 17th and 18th centuries and remains today a superbly preserved old castle right in the…

  • Sighnaghi Museum

    Sighnaghi

    This well-displayed, modern museum has good exhibits on Kakheti archaeology and history downstairs, and a room of 13 paintings by Kakheti-born artist Niko…

  • Walls

    Sighnaghi

    Most of Erekle II’s 4km defensive wall still stands, with 23 towers and each of its six gates named after a local village. Part of the wall runs along…

  • Schuchmann

    Kakheti

    A very professional modern operation 7km southeast of central Telavi, producing 1.5 million bottles a year – 30% is qvevri wine (under the Vinoterra label…

  • Lagodekhi Protected Areas

    Kakheti

    This remote, 244-sq-km nature reserve climbs to heights of over 3000m in the Caucasus above the small town of Lagodekhi in eastern Kakheti near the…

  • Twins Old Cellar

    Kakheti

    A family-run operation making qvevri and European wine, 23km north of Telavi. Visits include its comprehensive qvevri wine museum and a tasting of three…

  • Shumi

    Kakheti

    This interesting smallish winery produces wines of numerous appellations under the Shumi and Iberiuli labels, and has a vineyard of 432 vine varieties,…

  • Eagles Canyon

    Kakheti

    A few kilometres outside Dedoplis Tskaro, Eagles Canyon is home to enormous griffon, black vultures and black storks. It's an epic place best explored…

  • Vashlovani Protected Areas

    Kakheti

    The Vashlovani Protected Areas total 370 sq km of territory harbouring a very high concentration of different species including 46 mammals, 135 birds, 30…

  • Peristsvaleba

    Davit Gareja

    The 6th-century cave church Peristsvaleba contains Davit Gareja's tomb, to the right of the icon screen.

  • Nekresi Monastery

    Kakheti

    Nekresi’s early Georgian architecture and the views across the Alazani valley from its hillside-woodland site are marvellous. The monastery is 4km off the…

  • Ikalto Monastery

    Kakheti

    This monastery, beautifully situated in a cypress grove, was one of two famous medieval Georgian Neoplatonist academies, the other being Gelati near…

  • Bodbe Convent

    Sighnaghi

    Bodbe Convent, the revered final resting place of St Nino, is set among tall cypresses 2km south of Sighnaghi, a pleasant walk on country roads. The…

  • Gremi Fortress

    Kakheti

    From 1466 to 1672, Gremi was the capital of Kakheti, but the town down to the west of the citadel was totally devastated by Shah Abbas in 1616. Within the…

  • Lavra

    Davit Gareja

    This restored monastery is on three levels, with buildings from many periods. You enter by a gateway decorated with reliefs illustrating stories of the…

  • Winery Khareba

    Kakheti

    What's special here is the 7.7km of wine tunnels, dug out of a hillside in the early 1960s for storing and ageing wine at constant temperatures. Today the…

  • Khornabuji Fortress

    Kakheti

    This impressive hilltop ruin is an extraordinary site to behold and it's hard to imagine how it was even constructed atop such a steep peak. The truly…

  • Bazari

    Telavi

    Telavi’s busy market bursts with fresh produce from the area’s villages and is a chaotic visual feast to wander through.